Household recycling rates in Northern Ireland have risen by 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. The quarterly household recycling and composting figures for January–March 2011 are at their highest since statistics began in 2008.
The Northern Ireland Waste Management Statistics for this period also highlight a 5.6% decrease in the amount of waste being landfilled by councils on the same basis.
Northern Ireland Environment Minister Alex Attwood welcomes the useful improvements that these statistics demonstrate. “The encouraging decrease in landfilled municipal waste is also welcome both environmentally and financially as this will reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and landfill tax costs,” he says. “However I was disappointed to see that the amount of household waste produced in Northern Ireland this quarter has increased by 2.6% compared to the same period last year. This demonstrates that we cannot be complacent. Recycling is one of the many ways that we can make our local area a better place to live and invest and I will be pushing to make Northern Ireland the leader of recycling on these Islands.”
The Minister recently released £400,000 of funding via round two of the Rethink Waste Revenue Fund to assist community and voluntary groups, councils and the private sector for recycling and re-use projects. Further detailed information on the application process, including the assessment criteria, application form and guidance notes is available on the News and Events section on the rethink waste website.